It’s always tricky to find great content to post to Facebook, and with their new algorithm change, it’s now even harder. But it doesn’t have to be. Facebook’s changes are all based on follower engagement and not being too salesy. One of the things I love the most is using my personal Facebook Profile and my Fan Page as ways to communicate with fans, boost reader engagement and keep the book promotion wheels turning.

But I don’t do it in a way that pushes too much book marketing content out there. Instead I mix it up with trending topics, funny memes, and helpful advice.

As you start to build your reader engagement and grow your fan base, you’ll find that the more you can post content that engages readers, the better all of your posts will start to show up in their feed.

Treat your Facebook plan like a pie chart, with book promotion being a somewhat smaller part of that pie. When it comes to selling on Facebook, truly less is more.

Authors love to write but it’s what they say about their writings that will dictate their success.

Even though books should stand on their own merits, in order to inform and excite others about a book, an author must go out there and talk it up. What he or she says about a book will greatly influence others to seek out that book. So what should one say – or not say – about it?

Well, it depends on the setting. Is this a four-minute TV segment or a 20-minute podcast? Is it a byline article or a post on Instagram? Is it a bookstore signing or a speech before hundreds of people?

What you say, how you say it, and the visuals and sound effects that accompany your words will greatly impact your presentation. Be aware of the tools and resources available to you.

Growing Your Blog’s Income

In today’s episode, I want to talk about growing your blogging income, particularly when you’ve already started building some traffic and income streams on your blog.

This one will be most relevant if you’re at an intermediate to more advanced level. If you’re just starting out you’ll learn things that may not be relevant for you today, but will be good to know going forward.

After struggling for more than a decade to establish myself in a writing and publishing career, I knew I wanted to give back to the community that had consistently helped me. Years of giving advice in online forums and in-person events led me to publish the Paper Hearts book series about writing, publishing, and marketing books. And as I continued to work with aspiring authors, I also developed a series of worksheets that I eventually compiled into its own unique workbook.

But when it came time to release the Paper Hearts Workbook, I found myself in a bit of a conundrum. Most self-published works are promoted online in ebook form — BookBub is an excellent example of a promotional tool for ebooks — but the Paper Hearts Workbookwas a print-only book; it was designed to be used like a journal, with the reader working directly on the pages with a pen. It would not work as an ebook.

For a traditionally published author, a hefty number of preorders can increase a print run and create a sense of excitement around a new release. Early buzz may convince the publisher’s marketing team to take a book more seriously, and invest more time, creative brainpower, and marketing dollars into nurturing a potential bestseller.

For a self-published author, a swell of preorders can trigger algorithms that alert retail sites like Amazon to a book’s presence. This makes it more likely that the book will appear in “hot new release” lists, which can increase not only preorders, but post-publication sales and even name recognition.

Finally, because many retailers count preorders on release day, a large number of preorders can land an author on a bestseller list early in their new book’s sales cycle, whether traditionally or self-published.

However, preorder marketing efforts don’t always guarantee preorder sales. When promoting a book, there are so many factors at play: the uniqueness of a book, whether it’s a series or standalone, the dynamic of the author’s platform, the promotional budget, the author’s marketing prowess, and more.

Regardless, the months before a book releases are a golden opportunity for creating awareness. First, let’s cover how to set up a preorder for success:

How to Develop an Engaged Blog Audience

In today’s episode I want to talk about building engagement on your blog, and building a sense of community around it and your online business.

Building engagement is so important for your blog. It helps word-of-mouth growth, gives you energy, builds social proof on your site, and leads to more effective monetization. When people see engagement, they want to stick around and spend money.

You’ll learn 65 book marketing ideas ideas to make your book more discoverable and desirable to readers. Even if you’ve already implemented some of these ideas, I provide fresh context to make your implementation of these ideas even more effective.